Tool



Patented Dec. 12, 1950 TOOL Stanley Albert Temple, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Portable Industries, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 11, 1947, Serial No. 760,217

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tools. It has to do more particularly with tools of the type used for firing projectiles into metal, concrete or the like, the projectiles being of special form such for example as shown in my copending application Serial No. 684,935, filed July 19, 1946, and employed as fastenings in building construction.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a tool of the character stated which will present no hazard of accidental discharge and which shall automatically assume the safety position.

Another object 1is the provision of a tool of simple form and few parts that may be loaded quickly and that is rugged and certain in its action.

Still another object is the provision of means for absorbing recoil.

Other objects and features of novelty Will appear as I proceed with the description of that form of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a tool embodying the invention, the view being taken substantially along the line l--I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a iragmental elevational view looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

In the drawing l represents an enlongated housing which may be cylindrical in shape, open at its front end and preferably closed at its rear end as shown. It may be formed of aluminum or other light metal or alloy if desired. A cylindrical carrier I l is slidably mounted in the housing, being guided throughout most of its travel by a longitudinal slot l2 in the housing into which the head of a peg I3 extends, the shank of the peg being threaded into a tapped hole in the carrier i l.

A partition or other abutment I4 is secured within the housing at an intermediate point by screws l5 or other suitable means. It serves as an abutment for the rear end of a large resilient coil spring iii, the other or front end of the spring bearing against the rear end of the carrier. A barrel il is removably mounted in the carrier, preferably by means of a short coarse thread i8 formed at a point about two-thirds of the way down the barrel and engaging with a complementary thread at the front extremity oi the carrier. That portion of the barrel which projects beyond the carrier may be knurled in order to form a good grip for the operators iingers when screwing the barrel into or out of the carrier. Preferably I use a thread of one and one-half turns which enables an operator to thread the barrel home by a single spinning movement thereof. rllhe major portion of the barrel is thus surrounded and reinforced by the carrier li and also by the housing l0.

Barrel I1 has a bore I3 throughout the major portion of its length and a counterbcre 2t at its rear end, the counterbore being adapted to receive a breech plug 2l that is formed alike at its two ends so that it may receive a blank cartridge 22 regardless of which end of the plug is inserted first. The front end of tbe plug bears against a thin ange 23 on the head of a projectile 24, here shown as a pin-like member with a rear head portion having a guiding t in the barrel bore I9 and when the cartridge is exploded, force builds up until it becomes sufficient to shear off the flange and drive the projectile out of the tool with great force. A pair of diametrically opposed prongs Il' are formed at the extremity of the barrel for a purpose which will presently appear.

A ring pin 25 is slidably mounted in the carrier Ii. It has a collar 25 that is engaged by a coil spring 21 to hold the pin in inoperative postion, a hollow nut 28 threaded into the carrier ll serving as a removable stop against rearward movement of the pin.

Abutment iii is provided with a central aperture through which a plunger 3B is adapted to slide. A disk 3l is attached to, and in effect constitutes a part of, the plunger. A coil spring 32 bearing at one end against abutment it and at the other against disk 3i tends to hold the plunger in the retracted position illustrated in the drawing.

On the outside of the housing a sleeve 35, constituting a hand hold, is slidably mounted on the housing I0. It is attached to the plunger by means of screws 36 mounted in the Sleeve, extending through slots 31 in the housing and threaded into the disk 3|. The sleeve is thus nonrotatably slidable upon the housing. Part at least of the exterior surface of the sleeve is knurled as shown in order to provide a iirm grip for the operators hands.

Spring I6, being softer than spring 32, compresses when the operator pushes forwardly on the sleeve 35, the housing thereby moving forwardly around the barrel until it contacts the work, that is a Wall, floor or ceiling into which the projectile is to be driven. Then since the 3 housing can go no further the spring 32 is compressed by further pressure exerted by the operator upon the sleeve 35, enabling the plunger 3B to strike the iiring pin 25.

At its front end, slot I2 in the housing merges with a transverse cam slot lla, which in turn merges with the front end of a short longitudinal slot lil. The peg I3 is shown in; the. drawing in the position which it must assume atV the beginning of a firing operation. Normally it stands at the front end of the short slot lil, since car-` rier I I is impelled forwardly by spring I6 andangularly by the contact of peg I3 with cam slot G. In this position relativev longitudinal, movement between the barrel or carrier and the housing will be limited by the short length of slot 13|. For example if the tool should fail against a hard surface with the barrel front end down, the carrier would not be driven rearwardly or upwardly far enough to cause the firing pin to explode the cartridge.

Furthermore the tool cannot be discharged unless the front end of the barrel is held against a piece of work. For example if' an operator should grasp the sleeve in one hand and the housing Iii in the other and attempt. to iire the tool he could not do so, for the travel of the sleeve relative to the housing is limited by the possible travel of screws te in slots 3l and this travel is less than the normal distance between the plunger Sil and the iiring pin 25. In order to lire the tool, the front end of the barrel must be flush with theA iront end of the housing,. and in addition the plunger. 35i must be driven for'- wardly, and thiscan occur only when the front end'of the tool barrel is against. the work.

In order to overcome thev automaticsafety lock the barrel must be turned far enough to deflect the peg I3. out of the short slot lll. into thev long slot I2. This the operator can do by grasping the projecting front end portion of' the barrel with the iingers of one hand while turning the sleeve 35 with the other until the peg isin the long slot, but the prongs Il' facilitate the operation since they can be caused to bite into the work' and thus hold the barrel stationary while the sleevev and housing are turned.

After the tool has been discharged the operator holds the sleeve 35 in one hand and the projecting end of the barrel with the fingers of the other hand, turns the'barrel slightly to loosen the threads and then spins it to disengage the threads, after which he withdraws the barrel, removes the breech plug and the exploded cartridge, inserts a new projectile, puts a newr cartridge in the breach plug and inserts the latter and! then replaces the barrel and spins it to cause the thread I8 to lock it in position. rihe operation of removing the barrel and reloading itis thereby rapidlyI carried out.

Having thus described my invention, If claim:`

l. In a tool of the character described', an elongated housing, a carrier in said housing, said housing and said carrier having limited; longitudinal slidable movement relativel to onev another, a iiring pin` carried by said carrier, a barrel slidable in said housing' andY removably securedf' to said carrier, spring means for normally urging said carrier and said barrel toward the frontend or. said housing, the front end? of said barrel. being normally projected from the front end ot said housing, a plunger in said housing. for engagement with said liring pin, said plunger andi` said housing having limited` longitudinal slidable movementrelative to one another, spring means for normally urging said plunger toward the rear end of said housing, said plunger and said firing pin being normally separated a greater distance than the extent to which said barrel is normally projected from the iront end of said housing, with the result that there must be both relative longitudinal movement of said housing andA said carrier and relative longitudinal movement of saidV housing and said plunger to bring about engagement of said plunger and said ring pin, said two spring means being disposed on opposite'sides of and bearing against a iixed abutment with which said housing is provided, and a hand hold sleeve slidably mounted on the outer surface; of the rear end portion of said housing and to which said plunger is secured for movement therewith, whereby upon forward sliding movement of said hand hold sleeve, and with the projecting front end of the barrel against a xed abutment, said plunger is moved toward the iiring. pin and the housing is moved. forwardly relative to said carrier and said barrel.

2". Ina tool of the character described, an elongated5 housing, a carrier slidable therein, said housing having two non-aligned longitudinal slots, one in advance of' the other, and an intermediate: cam slot joining said longitudinal slots, the two longitudinal slots being of diierent lengths andthe one in advance being the shorter slot, a peg projecting from said carrier for movement in said slots, and spring means within said housing and normally urging said carrier forwardly relative to said housing, whereby said carrier peg isy normally disposed in the shorter advanced slot;

3. Iny a tool of the character described', an elongated housing, a carrier slidable therein, a firing pincarried by said carrier, a plunger slidable in said housing for engagement with said4 ring pin, said housing having. two non-aligned longitudinal slots, one in advance of the other, and an intermediate cam slot joining said longitudinal slots, the two longitudinal slots being of different lengths and the one in advance being the shorter slot, a peg projecting from said carrier for movement insaid slots, and. spring means within said housing andy normally urging said carrier forwardly relative to said housing, whereby said carrier peg is normally disposed in the shorter advanced` slot, the length of this slot being less than the relative longitudinal movement of said housing and said carrier necessary to elect engagement of said plunger and said firing pin.

4'. In a tool of the character described, an elongated housing, a carrier slidable therein, a. ring pin carried by said carrier, a plunger slidable in said housing for engagement with said firing pin, said housing having two non-aligned longigagement of said plunger and said firing pin,

provided With a longitudinal slot into which said carrier peg extends, Whereby said peg can be moved into the longer longitudinal slot of the housing by turning said sleeve relative to said carrier.

5. In a tool oi the character described, an elongated housing, a carrier slidable in said housing, a firing pin carried by said carrier, a barrel slidable in said housing and detachably secured to said carrier, and a plunger slidable in said housing for engagement with said iiring pin, said barrel normally projecting from the front end oi said housing and being provided at its front end with means for gripping a surface with which it is brought into engagement in the use of the tool.

6. In a tool of the character described, an elongated housing, a carrier in said housing, a barrel carried by said carrier and normally projecting beyond said housing, said carrier and said housing having limited longitudinal movement relative to one another, a ring pin carried by said carrier, a plunger in said housing for engagement with said iring pin, said plunger and said housing having limited longitudinal movement relative to one another, and resilient means for normally maintaining said firing pin and said plunger separated a greater distance than the extent to which said barrel normally projects beyond said housing, With the result that there must be both relative longitudinal movement of said carrier and said housing and relative longitudinal movement of said housing and said plunger to bring about engagement of said plunger and said ring pin.

7. In a tool of the character described, an elongated housing, a carrier in said housing, a barrel carried by said carrier, said carrier and said housing having limited longitudinal slidable movement relative to one another, a iiring pin carried by said carrier, spring means for normally urging said carrier toward the front end of said housing and thereby causing said barrel to normally project beyond the iront end of said housing, a plunger in said housing for engagement With said firing pin, said plunger and said housing having limited longitudinal slidable movement relative to one another, and spring means for normally urging said plunger toward the rear end of said housing, said plunger and said firing pin being normally separated a greater distance than the extent to which said barrel normally projects beyond the front end of said housing, with the result that there must be both relative longitudinal movement of said carrier and said housing and relative longitudinal movement of said housing and said plunger to bring about engagement of said plunger and said firing pin.

8. In a tool of the character described, an elongated housing, a carrier in said housing, a barrel carried by said carrier, said carrier and said housing having limited longitudinal slidable movement relative to one another, a firing pin carried by said carrier, spring means for normally urging said carried toward the front end of said housing and thereby causing said barrel to normally project beyond the front end of said housing, a plunger in said housing for engagement with said iiring pin, said plunger and said housing having limited longitudinal slidable movement relative to one another, and spring means for normally urging said plunger toward the rear end of said housing, said plunger and said firing pin being normally separated a greater distance than the extent to which said barrel normally projects beyond the front end of said housing, with the result that there must be both relative longitudinal movement of said carrier and said housing and relative longitudinal movement of said housing and said plunger to bring about engagement oi said plunger and said iiring pin said two spring means being disposed on opposite sides of and bearing against a nxed abutment with which saidV housing is provided.

9. In a tool of the character described, an elongated housing, a carrier in said housing, a barrel carried by said carrier and normally projecting beyond said housing, said carrier and said housing having limited longitudinal movement relative to one another, a ring pin carried by said carrier, a plunger in said housing for engagement with said firing pin, said plunger and said housing having limited longitudinal movement relative to one another, resilient means for normally maintaining said firing pin and said plunger separated a greater distance than the extent to which said barrel normally projects beyond said housing, with the result that there must be both relative longitudinal movement of said carrier and said housing and relative longitudinal movement of said housing and said plunger to bring about engagement of said pluger and said firing pin and exterior hand hold means telescopically related to said housing and connected to said plunger for unison movement therewith.

10. In a tool of the character described, a firing pin carrier having an axial cavity in the front end portion thereof,` a barrel having the major portion of its length disposed Within said carrier cavity with the side wall of such portion of the barrel in contact With the carrier Wall and re-enforced thereby, the front end portion o said barrel projecting beyond the front end portion of said carrier, and means for detachably securing said barrel to said carrier, said means comprising internal threads on the carrier at the front end thereof and cooperating external threads on said barrel intermediate the ends thereof.

STANLEY ALBERT TEMPLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file o this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,277,370 Bovard Sept. 3, 1918 1,984,117 Davis Dec. 11, 1934 2,038,913 Temple Apr. 28, 1936 2,316,112 Temple Apr. 6, 1943 2,400,878 Dunn May 28, 1946 

